In Parliament

My Speeches and Questions

You can see all the speeches I have made in Parliament, along with the answers to my parliamentary questions, by clicking here.

Shadow Minister

In October 2016 I was appointed as a Shadow Minister in Labour’s Brexit team, led by the Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Keir Starmer MP, holding the Government to account as they negotiate Britain’s departure from the EU.

Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Committee

I served on the Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Select Committee from 2010 to 2016, but stood down when I was appointed a Shadow Minister, as MPs can’t be on a Select Committee while serving on the frontbench. During my time on the BIS Committee we undertook inquiries into a wide range of issues affecting business and industry, further and higher education, science and innovation, skills and apprenticeships – and a lot more besides. You can read the reports that the committee has published here.

Early Day Motions

An Early Day Motion, or EDM, is a short statement that MPs can submit which states a view on a particular subject. If other MPs agree with the motion put forward, they can sign it to show their support. Early Day Motions are used to raise awareness of a certain issue. You can find out which Early Day Motions I’ve signed during 2015/16 and previous parliamentary sessions here, although as a Shadow Minister I am now limited by the convention that Ministers and Shadow Ministers do not usually sign EDMs.